Executive actions proposed by President Obama for 2014

Jan. 28, 2014: President Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

President Obama announced in his State of the Union address Tuesday he plans to sidestep Congress and take a variety of executive actions in 2014 to enact economic change.

Obama said he wants to both work with Congress and work through his own authority to build economic security for the American middle class.

Here is a sampling of the executive actions Obama is planning in 2014, as described by the White House:

-Raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers: Obama announced plans for this executive action ahead of his speech Tuesday morning. The order raises the minimum wage for new federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour, from $7.25. Obama will also urge Congress to approve legislation for a similar increase for all workers.

-Create a federally-backed “starter savings account” to help Americans plan for retirement: Obama plans to take executive action to create the accounts, which would be available to millions through their employer. The accounts would be backed by the U.S. government.

-Back innovation to make higher education more affordable: Obama says he will work with educational leaders and innovators to develop technology and programs to make colleges and universities more affordable for all Americans.

-Launch four new manufacturing innovation institutes: Obama plans to use his executive authority to create the institutes, which will bring together universities, companies and the government to explore technological advancements in manufacturing. Obama has already announced four such institutes, and plans to create 15 in total.

-Partnering with CEOs to help the long-term unemployed: Obama says he will convene a group of American CEOs and leaders to discuss the best practices to help the long-term jobless get hired.

-Review of federal training programs to help Americans get necessary job skills: Obama has directed Vice President Joe Biden to conduct a review of federal job training programs to make sure they are helping Americans gain the skills necessary to find good jobs.

-Incentives for higher fuel efficiency in trucks: Obama will propose new incentives for trucks to run on more energy efficient fuel, and build on federal efforts to create new fuel economy standards.